Pacific Crest Trail

1017 miles on the trail this summer and having a lighter base weight this time around made a world of difference. The items that are linked are from companies that I received a sponsorship or pro-deal from, and the retail price listed does not represent what I payed for them. I think it is a valuable stat (no pun intended) to note, because it proves that sometimes an expensive item is not always the most reliable and that there are many ways of saving money without sacrificing quality. Thanks to my sponsors and the North Face for employing me, and please visit their websites to see pictures of the products and specifications.… Read more

By the time I reached Mammoth Lakes, California, where I created my last post, I had come to accept the fact that completing the trail in 100 days or less was no longer achievable, but I was still driven on finishing as quickly as I could. My pace had fallen behind schedule from time spent in town to resupply on food or wait out a storm in the Sierras, and “the pack” (the party-crazed majority of hikers that cling together in a wave of slow-moving cliques) had finally caught up to me. There were people passing me that I hadn’t seen since my first day, and while I hoped that I might finally find a hiking partner or a group with a similar pace, it did make me feel a bit defeated.… Read more

“Wherever we go in the mountains, or indeed in any of God’s wild fields, we find more than we seek”

-John Muir, My First Summer in the Sierra (1911)

John Muir, the prominent author/naturalist/preservationist of the late 19th and early 20th centuries, is arguably the most influential character in American natural history since Lewis and Clark. The time he spent wandering among the high peaks and lush valleys of the Sierra-Nevada mountain range, captured in his journals and correspondence with friends and family, has made a lasting impact on America’s moral compass. While the inspiration for his wilderness excursions could be linked to the concept of “manifest destiny”, which was so prevalent in the US around the time of his birth, his perception of what the west had to offer and his insatiable desire to preserve and protect those sacred lands could not have been more revolutionary- especially when considering the common American’s feelings about nature at the time.… Read more

Upon arriving at “Hiker Heaven“, I was greeted by one of many dutiful volunteers with the oh-so-fitting phrase, “Welcome to paradise”. At mile 454.5 in Agua Dulce, California, a family named the Saufleys coordinates a sort of oasis for PCT hikers, where anything and everything a hiker could need is provided to them without any expectation of reimbursement. There is a laundry station with fresh towels and loaner clothes to be worn while one’s filthy hiking clothes are being washed; a garage converted into a make-shift post office and information center; an entire back-building with full kitchen and bathroom, piano and guitars, couches and TV, Wifi, sewing machine, bookshelves full of adventure literature and guidebooks, and 2 bedrooms; 8-person tents in the yard with cots and hammocks for lounging and sleeping whenever under the shade of a few sizeable pines- you name it, they’ve got it covered.… Read more

Tomorrow I will begin the 2650 mile Pacific Crest Trail (or PCT) through California, Oregon, and Washington. After landing in San Diego International airport and spending the night at the house of “Trail Angels” named “Scout” and “Frodo”, they will drive a group of hikers, myself included, to the trail-head in Campo. We will take pictures by the trail monument and with the fence on the Mexican border, then turn around and begin our long walk towards Canada. My goal is to finish in less than 100 days, which will mean averaging over 30 miles per day, including rest days and miles I’ll walk off-trail, to resupply on food in town, or to summit Mount Whitney, for example.… Read more